The discussion below is merely provided for general background information and is not intended to be used as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter.
The ability to access information has been greatly enhanced with the popularity of the Internet. Now it is quite easy and convenient to use publicly available computers such as those present in libraries, coffee shops, hotels and the like to access a computer at work or home, or access websites having personal information such as banks, brokerages, email services, etc.
Unfortunately, these publicly available computers often contain malicious programs generally known as spyware or keyloggers. Spyware is generally considered any software application that covertly gathers user information without his or her knowledge and permission. Spyware includes a broad range of techniques that snoop on user activity, deploy Trojan downloaders, or infest the computer with adware.
Keyloggers can be considered a specific form of spyware, or monitoring software, in that a keylogger captures the keystrokes or other forms of input of a computer user and stores them. Modern keyloggers can store additional information, such as images of the user's screen as well. Most malicious keyloggers send this data to a third party remotely such as via email, where the recorded information can be analyzed to ascertain personal and often times valuable information such as passwords, credit card numbers, social security numbers and the like.
Either through malice or negligence on the part of the administrators, publicly available computers are particularly vulnerable to spyware and keyloggers. Since the user does not have control of the machine and is often using it for only a short amount of time, the user is unable to verify that the computer is not infected. In such cases, either the user must choose not to use the computer and attempt to find a safer computer, if even available, or enter the confidential information such as the password and hope for the best.